This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
sting
[ sting ]
/ stɪŋ /
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
verb (used with object), stung [stuhng] /stʌŋ/ or (Obsolete) stang [stang]; /stæŋ/; stung; sting·ing.
verb (used without object), stung [stuhng] /stʌŋ/ or (Obsolete) stang [stang]; /stæŋ/; stung; sting·ing.
noun
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
Origin of sting
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb stingen, Old English stingan “to pierce”; cognate with Old Norse stinga “to pierce,” Gothic -stangan (in usstangan “to pull out”); the noun is derivative of the verb
OTHER WORDS FROM sting
Words nearby sting
stimulative, stimuli, stimulus, stimy, Stine, sting, stingaree, stinger, stinginess, stinging capsule, stinging hair
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use sting in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for sting
sting
/ (stɪŋ) /
verb stings, stinging or stung
noun
Derived forms of sting
stinging, adjectivestingingly, adverbstingingness, nounWord Origin for sting
Old English stingan; related to Old Norse stinga to pierce, Gothic usstangan to pluck out, Greek stakhus ear of corn
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with sting
sting
see take the sting out of.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.